We recently connected with Stacey K. Black and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stacey K., so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
I’m so glad you asked this question. In my roles in the entertainment industry – Director, Producer, Writer – I use both sides of my brain, and most times simultaneously. It can be daunting and exhausting. I absolutely REQUIRE alone time, and time to nurture my other creative endeavors. Music, painting and other art, cooking, time with friends and family, travel, continuing education.
When I’m directing an episode of television, I’m responsible for millions of dollars that are not mine, and anywhere from 150 to 200 people who look to me to keep the train moving and not waste their time. I love it. But I need time to recharge my battery.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I have an unconventional “origin story” when it comes to my career trajectory. I knew early on that I would be immersed in creative endeavors. My first love is music, and my passion is movies and TV. I chased that hard, man. I mean, ran it down! I love to tell stories, and music and film both scratch that itch.
I started as a Production Assistant on a series in Orlando Florida, “The Adventures of Superbly,” which was basically Clark Kent in college. My first time on an actual set, and it was magical! I was able to check out everyone, see what their jobs entailed, see where I needed to step next, to get to the ultimate goal of writing, directing and producing. I noticed that Hair and Makeup Artists spent a lot of time with the actors, directors and writers, helping to design the characters and tell the stories with their specific craft, so in my infinite wisdom, I decided that was my next step.
Anyway… haha… it actually worked. It took 17 years of burnin’ hair in Hollywood, on some really great projects like Glee, Nip/Tuck, The Closer, Major Crimes, and many others, but I was given my first shot to direct an episode of prime time teevee while I was the Department Head Hair Stylist on The Closer. I told you, unconventional!
I’ve been so fortunate to direct on some amazing series now for over a decade. The Closer, Major Crimes, NCIS: New Orleans, Station 19, Evil, Walker, The Fix, Stumptown, to name a few. Most recently I had the honor to serve as Co-Executive Producer / Director on season 5 and 6 of Station 19. It was probably the most challenging job I’ve ever had, but whooo did I learn a lot.
Moving forward, when the contracts for the WGA and SAG are resolved in favor of those hard working and majorly talented union members (I’m an unabashed optimist), I hope to bop around and direct on different shows again. I’ve also been writing a few pilot scripts and shopping them around. Fingers crossed!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities? Whew, let’s see… EMPATHY! Yes! If you do not have empathy, I don’t know how you can be a director, writer, actor. You absolutely MUST be able to step into the shoes and skin of other people. You’ve probably heard actors say that they never let themselves judge their characters. As in, if someone is playing a serial killer, they can not think of that character as a “bad guy.” They must get deep inside, and find out the “why” of it all. Why does this person need to kill. I know, sounds like yuck, but it has to be done, otherwise the character will not ring true. And as a director, I would never approach that actor and speak to them as if their character were evil. I have to understand where they’re coming from, so the actor knows what the character wants, and what is blocking her/him from getting it.
Another quality is definitely positivity. Bring joy and laughter to the job every day, and the cast and crew will meet you there. In any job, in any industry. Don’t be a downer. Inspire everyone to bring their A game, and they absolutely will.
And the third quality or skill I would say is being prepared. I mean, prep you ever-lovin’ ass off. I serve as one of the instructors for the DGA’s First Time Episodic Director’s Course, and something I try to hammer home to the participants, is that you can never prep too much. Prep your work so much that you know it by heart. I don’t want to have my script in my hands when I’m giving actors my ideas for blocking in a scene. I prefer to know it so well that I don’t need to consult the notes I worked so hard on for 8 days. The actors should see me calm and cool, with all the knowledge in my head. I say I TRY to do this. Sometimes you get a script late and it’s not possible, but it’s something that is very important to me.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I have amazing mentors who saw something in me, and were generous enough to educate me, and put their names on me.
Michael M. Robin, Exec. Producer / Director of shows like All Rise, East New York, Longmire, Major Crimes, The Closer, and Nip/Tuck to name a few, started as a Post Production Coordinator in the Bochco camp. You know, NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Cop Rock. I wrote, produced and directed two short films while I was doing hair on Nip/Tuck and The Closer. I gave those shorts to Michael, and asked him to consider me to direct an episode of The Closer. I knew it was a long shot, but a couple seasons later, he and the other Exec. Producers – James Duff, Kyra Sedgwick, Rick Wallace and Greer Shephard – made my dreams come true, and hired me to direct episode 609. And Michael has been instrumental in helping me move on to other shows. He’s still got my back to this day. Whenever I am hired as a guest director on a show, I work even harder than I normally would, because I know his name is on me. People know where I come from, that I am one of his proteges, so I absolutely can not let him down.
Bethany Rooney, the co-author of “Directors Tell the Story: Master the Craft of Television and Film Directing” with Mary Lou Belli, has been a constant mentor and great friend since I took the Warner Brothers Director’s workshop back in 2012. I had the honor of shadowing her on a show in New York a few years back, and watching her work was truly one of the most inspiring experiences of my career. Badassery at its finest.
Rick Wallace, who was Exec. Producer / Director on The Closer, would literally spend almost every Saturday on set with me, walking the stages, helping me with blocking, basically giving of his time, experience, and generosity, in such a way that I will never be able to repay him.
I am also grateful to Paris Barclay who has been guiding me since he directed an episode of Glee in which I was the Dept. Head hair stylist. I recently told him that I was shadowing him without his knowledge or consent. haha! The man is a genius.
And so many others. It’s truly mind-boggling when I actually think about the amount of love and support I have. Supremely and eternally grateful.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @staceykblack
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